International Mobility Program – Authorisation to Work Without a Work Permit

Appendix G – The International Mobility Program – The Authorisation to Work Without a Work Permit – Emergency Service Providers

The authorities designed R186 (t) for facilitating the admission of persons who came to Canada for the purpose of rendering services in times of emergency. Ideally, these services would aim at preserving life and property. The emergency could be the result of natural disasters such as floods, tornadoes, earthquakes and fires. Or, it could be the result of industrial or commercial accidents that threaten the environment. In some cases, the emergency could simply be a medical emergency where the facilitation of admission becomes a necessity for preserving life, regardless of whether it involves one or more persons.

Agreements such as the Agreement between the Government of Canada and the Government of the United States on Emergency Management Cooperation (2008) aim at facilitating the admission of persons rendering emergency services to either country. Among such individuals, there could be doctors or medical teams, as well as appraisers and provincially licensed insurance adjusters.

Foreign Insurance Adjusters

Foreign adjusters would need to demonstrate that they meet the specified provincial requirements. Evidence of a license or the capacity or willingness for rapid response from provincial regulators indicate the context of an emergency.

If required, the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) would help in facilitating Canadian insurance providers for obtaining the assistance of outside American adjustors by preparing a letter upon request. The letter produced by the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) would:

Identify the incident

Declare that the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) views the incident as a disaster and,

Advises that the number of claims exceeds the capacity of domestic adjustors to handle these claims in a timely manner

In some situations, officers might find that some people seek entry under an agreement with Public Safety Canada. Therefore, officers would need to note that they can authorise all persons responding to such emergency situations for entering Canada as visitors. This is regardless of whether there is an agreement in existence or not.

Note:

Subsequent to the actual emergency event, situations could arise where a foreign adjuster, who was involved in the initial emergency assessments, might need to enter Canada on an ongoing basis for ensuring the continuity of the process until such time as the authorities finally settle the emergency generated claim

In this scenario, officers would need to continue facilitating such individuals under the provisions specified in R186 (t)

Officers could also require or request for an updated letter from the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) if the date of the emergency event was more than a year ago